Summerhill Bar on Gothamist

A Brooklynian member gets a shout out/quote in Gothamist:
"Summerhill, a new "boozy sandwich shop" on Nostrand Avenue in Crown Heights, issued a press release on Monday advertising one of its cocktails next to a "bullet hole-ridden wall"—remnants of a "a rumored backroom illegal gun shop."
"Yes, that bullet hole-ridden wall was originally there and, yes, we're keeping it," the release states.
Owner Becca Brennan, a 31-year-old former attorney, said the decision to preserve the wall damage at 637 Nostrand Avenue and describe it as bullet holes for promotional purposes was a "cheeky" one. Speaking to us in the dimly-let, beach-inspired room, Brennan said, "Just looking at the angle I don't know if that is possible that that's a bullet hole. We call it that because if you look at the history, someone seriously said, 'Isn't that the place where we could buy guns?' And then we were like, 'okay.'"
According to Brennan, the idea to advertise bullet holes came from a comment on the website Brooklynian, where commenters trade gossip and details about new businesses. Last September, an anonymous commenter wrote, "If I'm not mistaken this was the corner store where you could buy a 'certified pre-owned' firearm back in the day." "
Brennan said she did not investigate the gun rumor further. "I don't have any backup to that, but when you think about it as a joke like, yep, that's a bullet hole," she said.
The establishment, which describes itself as an "oasis" on Nostrand Avenue, is not the first to mine the material or oral history of Crown Heights, a rapidly gentrifying neighborhood with Jewish and West Indian roots. Between 2000 and 2010, the neighborhood's majority-black population shrunk while its white population nearly doubled, to 16 percent. And between 2011 and 2015, according to a recent DNAInfo analysis, the 11216 zip code covering parts of Bedford-Stuyvesant and Crown Heights saw among the most significant increases in high-income renters in the city.
Last September, bar owner Dan Wilby pushed back at community opposition to his new Franklin Avenue watering hole, Crow Hill. Crown Heights was known as Crow Hill in the 19th century, and while historians debate the origin of this moniker, at that time the word "crow" was used as derogatory term. Wilby eventually changed the bar's name, citing a "significant and regrettable oversight," but another ode still exists in Crow Hill Crossfit. (Bar Corvo, an Italian Restaurant on Washington Avenue that used the Italian for "crow," recently closed.)
Beyond the "bullet" wall, Brennan's press release advertises Forty Ounce Rose, a brand of wine bottled to recall a 40-oz. Colt 45. Brennan said she is planning to serve them in paper bags. That choice that has been criticized at other bars for making light of poverty—an issue Crown Heights and other gentrifying neighborhoods are grappling with.
We asked Brennan to clarify her thoughts on the symbolism of the 40s. "I'm not an authority so don't feel comfortable commenting on anything other than my business—a new bar and restaurant that locals (/my neighbors) seem to really enjoy and appreciate," she said, via email.
"Actions speak louder than words," said Natherlene Bolden, 55, a founding member of the Crown Heights Tenants Union and a resident of the neighborhood since 1978. CHTU is a coalition of Crown Heights residents that challenges landlords who hike rents and harass tenants. The group protested outside of Crow Bar last fall.
"You are making money off of... negative aspects in our community which, you know, you're happy when these things go on because you can make money off of it," Bolden added. "And it's like you're not thinking about the black people or the long-term residents in the community. Or maybe you are thinking about them but they don't matter."
Brennan, who grew up in Toronto and moved to Crown Heights two years ago, alluded Monday to the evidence of gentrification on Nostrand Avenue, three blocks east of the bars and coffee shops of Franklin Avenue. She says she is close with the owners of the bodega next door, who used to rent the Summerhill space. "They got pushed out rent-wise," she said.
"I've noticed a lot of shutters," Brennan added. To her customers, "I was like, 'You're paying Franklin prices because I'm paying Franklin prices, to be honest." (Cocktails, including one called the #VanLife, run for $12.)
The comparisons to Franklin Avenue are no mistake. "As someone who lives on Nostrand, I was getting tired of walking to Franklin," Brennan said. "It's three blocks, but it's three long blocks. You just deserve something close, and a hang out, especially if you live on New York [Avenue] or Schenectady or something like that."
http://gothamist.com/2017/07/18/new_crown_heights_eatery_advertises.php

Comments

That pasted as one paragraph, sorry guys! But here is the quote.............. "According to Brennan, the idea to advertise bullet holes came from a comment on the website Brooklynian, where commenters trade gossip and details about new businesses. Last September, an anonymous commenter wrote, "If I'm not mistaken this was the corner store where you could buy a 'certified pre-owned' firearm back in the day."

King Tai Bar, up the street at Bergen also took its name from a past incarnation as a chinese Restaurant from the 70's .Image is more upbeat thou as a Miami style club! Bullet holes? I doubt it, probably just a misguided contractor looking for a pipe.

It is certainly less offensive than much of the music around. I suspect there is not as much outrage around the music because the public imagines that the (black?) artist is the one profiting.
However the whole industry profits, and they are a variety of hues.
In the case of this bar, the owner seems to have only one hue. Easy target?

New bars need a gimmick to survive. We have some that focus on craft beer, others that focus on tiki cocktails, and others that serve both cocktails and pie.
I'd like next one to serve sub sandwiches. Basically a Potbelly sandwich location with beer.
...Berg'n falls a little short.

Is it controversial to think that this bar is part of the new reality of the area...and that different cultures and people coming together is part of Crown Heights tradition? The event is sounding more divisive than what the bar did. Sometimes the "our neighborhood" "your neighborhood" thing to me seems old fashioned.

I'm gonna disagree with y'all and say all of the backlash was warranted. Impact is greater than intent.
Do I think she intended to offend? Not at all. But there's a reason why a number of businesses (both new and old) in the neighborhood chose not to dredge up the difficult history of this place. Because profiting off of people's trauma is dumb and not a good look. Even if they aren't real bullet holes, marketing the holes as such make her seem out of touch with the community.

Oh My! The trauma! Well she had real bullet holes in the facade from wanna be og shooting across nostrand at some guy just last year. Im sure she got past that trauma and could joke about it. Its a lovely bar with a very diverse clientele. Its a shame its being blown up into this "HUGE RACIST INCIDENT"

A part of me is kind of disappointed no journalist has covered how violent the recent past was.
I suspect the newbies believe that people are exaggerating the past, and implicitly stating that "all that violence and dysfunction is almost over now, because all of THOSE people are gone, and/or going away."
I would certainly be annoyed if people imagined I was like THOSE people merely as a result of living here through it all and/or my hue.

I went there last night for the first time. I kept forgetting about it before this whole hub-bub since i live a mile down the road. It seemed pretty empty in my opinion (compared to what others on this board have said; that it's generally packed). Maybe like 5 or 6 people at the bar, some of which were obviously staff staying after shifts, and a small party of people in a corner table. Mixed crowd. no one was next to the "bullet hole" wall, haha
The owner came in at some point to tell the bartender something about their upcoming brunch service. I assume they are trying to gloss over this controversy with the gentrifier's kryptonite; brunch.

It is certainly less offensive than much of the music around. I suspect there is not as much outrage around the music because the public imagines that the (black?) artist is the one profiting.
However the whole industry profits, and they are a variety of hues.

Becky would be wise to encourage her clientele to patronize the local shops esp Tracy's cute place across the street which is struggling. especially considering "Tracy Reid, 47, a small business owner across the street from Summerhill Restaurant and Bar " was very outspoken at the protest. She works hard to make that little shop stay afloat.

I find myself annoyed by the protester Prescott in the NYDailyNews saying" This is not what the neighborhood needs. The neighborhood needs child care. It needs schools."
Well, unless the City or the local BID bands together to recruit child care centers, that's not going to happen. And the schools are not the province of your basic entry-level entrepreneurs. There is a lot a local entrepreneur can do: try to source goods locally, try to hire from the surrounding neighborhood, try to invest in developing their staffs' business and management acumen, try to provide muffins or sandwiches for community group meetings, contribute to some fundraisers for neighborhood causes. They can run a good business and sweep their sidewalk and bag their trash correctly and keep noise at at an appropriate level. They can be sensitive to neighborhood needs and wants and preferences, and their ability to afford such things. Most of the entrepreneurs on nostrand are like that. Becca could have stood to learn something from them.
No. It's not up to individual entrepreneurs to deal with schools and child care needs. That is up to the community orgs that deal with such issues, our llocal school leadership to be responsive and proactive, our local families to be involved and demand what they want and need, and our pols to be accountable too all those parties. Seriously.
Sorry. All the cheesy "Resistance" these days makes me annoyed at untargeted anger and action.

it's a bummer to watch literally one clueless lady become the scapegoat for everyone's pain over gentrification; made all the more easy to hate because we live in a patriarchal society that vilifies women ten fold for the same transgressions as men (bye becky anyone? where were these catchy phrases at the Crow Bar protest...). let's not even discuss how many times i've seen her be called a C*** all over the internet. i can't support that shit either.
meanwhile, the predominately male landlords, real estate agents, and developers with actual intent and means to cause displacement and gentrification continue to do what they do best with zero consequences (and lots of profit!) and these protesters can't/won't aim their outrage towards real systems of oppression. no, it's easier to just blame the white lady with the small business.

I find it strange that so many people are defending the bar owner, or trying to bring up worse examples of similar situations to make this one appear less significant. The owner has about a zillion ways to fix this herself. First off, she should have showed up to the protest and not just hired a PR firm to issue a statement. Instead of just apologizing, why not open up some sort of dialog on how to remedy the issue? Change the menu? Figure out some cocktails that incorporate Trinidadian or other Caribbean drinks/ingredients/flavors?

Tracy Reid was a positive protester in my mind addressing the image of violence the clueless owner was utilizing to sell drinks, something not really supporting the local mom and pop businesses like Tracy's. although bringing more people out to Nostrand Summertime does so but not for shopping.

it's a bummer to watch literally one clueless lady become the scapegoat for everyone's pain over gentrification; made all the more easy to hate because we live in a patriarchal society that vilifies women ten fold for the same transgressions as men (bye becky anyone? where were these catchy phrases at the Crow Bar protest...). let's not even discuss how many times i've seen her be called a C*** all over the internet. i can't support that shit either.
meanwhile, the predominately male landlords, real estate agents, and developers with actual intent and means to cause displacement and gentrification continue to do what they do best with zero consequences (and lots of profit!) and these protesters can't/won't aim their outrage towards real systems of oppression. no, it's easier to just blame the white lady with the small business.

So, the people behind MTOPP (setting aside Alicia Boyd) never protested against developments?

Figure out some cocktails that incorporate Trinidadian or other Caribbean drinks/ingredients/flavors?

I think you're missing the point here.

Sorry, I should have been more clear. I meant that comment in connection to my comment about opening up a dialog with locals. So not necessarily a decision to hijack even more from the community, but more so as a way of paying homage to the positive side of the already well established culture on Nostrand with the help of the people in the community.

If you google 40 oz wines - not in quotes, another page will come up with a picture. I imagine they sell directly to restaurants (by the case)...like most wine co. do. I don't like rose very much. More of a beer guy.

popped into summerhill on Friday night. The bar is bright, by bar standards and the soundtrack can be described as happy, surfy music. The crowd was interracial and bosterous. It was pretty fascinating to look around for any signs of the previous drama. From the chatty bartenders and interracial staff, to the bullet hole wall still on display (!!!) it seems to be they quietly kept their cool weathered the storm and will run their business just as the dreamt to. This makes me happy because to me, lost in all the debate, was that freedom of expression was at stake here too. Censorship is a slippery slope

I don't know how many people check the internet before visiting their local bar.
...or let people they have never met define things for them.
We might be seeing a combination of oblivion and independence.

I saw a similar thing happen last summer to "Calavera" in downtown, Oakland. A new restaurant at the time, they had some labor issue with an immigrant that resulted in a few days of picketing, terrible PR, destroyed Yelp page, etc. while the hullabaloo kinda died down, their Yelp page was never fully restored to its 4.5 star, tons of reviews status it enjoyed pre-controversy. Also, protestors damaged their windows in an anti-trump protest but who knows if it was targeted. They do that in Oakland.

The bullet hole narrative was an adolescent/hipster mistake, rife with racist insensitivity. The adult thing to do would be to get rid of it, allowing for more meaningful discussions of the pro's and con's of gentrification. The longer it stays, despite apologies about intent, reinforces unwillingness to admit wrong when being called out called on racist overtones. It's nice that there a people of color working there and I like to vibe at Summerhill. But, it will be difficult to continue to patronize the place with the symbolism of racism.

Somewhere in the country, there is likely a formerly poor white backward area that was quickly transformed into an area for affluent, educated, young people.
I wonder if any of the businesses now serving the area have decided to make making fun of the former inhabitants part of their business model.
Pictures of children with fetal alcohol syndrome on the walls?
Chewing tobacco? Pictures of junked cars. Deer heads. Coal miners hats. It is out there somewhere. It may serve Keystone beer in a literal bucket for $16.

Somewhere in the country, there is likely a formerly poor white backward area that was quickly transformed into an area for affluent, educated, young people.
I wonder if any of the businesses now serving the area have decided to make making fun of the former inhabitants part of their business model.
Pictures of children with fetal alcohol syndrome on the walls?
Chewing tobacco? Pictures of junked cars. Deer heads. Coal miners hats. It is out there somewhere. It may serve Keystone beer in a literal bucket for $16.

Chelsea has become quite well off, but it lacks the required proximity to those being stereotyped and mocked.
This event in TX may be people acting out the stereotypes, and embracing them: https://www.facebook.com/events/463205360688294/
I'm not sure the attendees vary much from those that are the butt of the humor.

How does plastering over a wall "allow for more meaningful discussions of the pro's and con's of gentrification"? And how does a masonry wall symbolize racism? Its a wall, just like at barbonchino, just like the walls at the Harvey Theatre. If I take offense to something you say, what gives me the right to demand that you change your decor? The story of the bulletholes was put forth by someone in the community, and simply for repeating it in an offhand manner (Oh My!) she is getting personal attacks, people telling her how to decorate her business, and making it harder for the employees (many of whom are people of color that live in the community) to make a living. Its a hell of a way to purport to help the community by killing jobs. Some nut job was out there shouting that they should get degrees and better jobs. Really??

Chelsea has become quite well off, but it lacks the required proximity to those being stereotyped and mocked.
This event in TX may be people acting out the stereotypes, and embracing them: https://www.facebook.com/events/463205360688294/
I'm not sure the attendees vary much from those that are the butt of the humor.

I assume the bikers occasionally fight with each other, and that the lingerie girls fight with each other too.
I suspect there are also occasional fights between a biker and a lingerie girl, but the bouncers end them quickly by siding with the lingerie girls.
It is on my list of places to visit.

I just don't get how she could come to Crown Heights and not really get it. This place is absolutely overflowing with history and culture and she could have used that as her inspiration, but instead she showed her ass and got called on it. And now it's just escalating to the point where some folks don't even want her there. Demanding she shutter her business though? That's not going to change the issues at hand here...

Is the owner in the photos in the gothamist article? The lady in the blue hat?
This quote makes the protestors sound racist against whites: "Protesters directed their anger directly at Brennan, asking her when she plans to return to Canada, and chanting "Boycott Summerhill!" and "Bye, Bye Becky!" (slang for a generic white woman)."
Then I realized her name is Becca so I guess it's not as crazy to chant " bye bye Becky" as it would have been if her name were Mary or some other "generic white women" name. Ha.

While those opposed to the bar and its owner are getting lots of media attention, it isn't clear to me that they are affecting its bottom line. IE Those protesting don't seem to be its customers, and they don't seem to be organized/clever enough to host a protest during its prime hours. which I believe are 10 PM - 1 AM on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights.

"People can care about more than one thing at a time. Just because people are outspoken about this, doesn't mean they aren't outspoken about other issues in the neighborhood."
But they're not. Not by a long shot.

Can't wait to hear what happens. I predict Imani Henry and his ilk will shout over her and we still won't really hear what she has to say for herself. v(ツ)v that's what happens when you put your faith in the Alicia Boyd/imani henry type of protesters that just operate on a platform of rage and drown out voices on both sides. dude isn't even from NY!

By my calculations, the bar owner GAINS if they spend the whole time yelling at her and chanting. By tolerating being yelled at for an hour, she gets to say that she was not allowed to speak, yet heard the opposition's concerns. This won't sway any of her opponents, but it will make them look silly if if they don't move on to their next villain. All she needs to do is something simple like put up a picture of Hallie Selassie on the pock marked wall. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haile_Selassie Or, once it comes out on DVD, show the movie Crown Heights. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crown_Heights_(film)

I read the clips & watched all the video available from the town hall yesterday.
I was previously of the belief that the protestors were too harsh, and projecting too much hatred onto her. I definitely felt like a lot of them were coming from a real place of pain, and their concerns were legit, but I just thought their messaging was too intense, and in some cases too violent.
But after watching her in front of the town hall, it's really hard to be sympathetic to her. She had a real chance to be humble, acknowledge this was a learning experience, etc., but instead she doubled down and came off rude and snotty.
She specifically said she will not paint over the wall, which just seems self destructive.
After that event count me in the group of people who can't support her business.

damn i get the feeling this lady doesn't like to listen to advice. surely somebody she trusts would have told her to A.) say "what I said was offensive and I see that now, I am sorry" and B.) fill and paint the wall. Seriously. not sure why she's so stubborn. is it just a lawyer thing? "I'm sorry you were offended" is not the same as "I offended you and I'm sorry" but would take the same amount of effort to say. i don't think she realizes that it's not about apologizing about the wall at this point, but rather about viewing those against it as people with feelings and apologize for their hurt feelings.
Even if she privately stood by her initial comments, just that effort would have made people gradually forget about the whole ordeal. instead, she's just handed them the Villian they've all been searching for: the spectre of gentrification personified

Somewhere in the country, there is likely a formerly poor white backward area that was quickly transformed into an area for affluent, educated, young people.
I wonder if any of the businesses now serving the area have decided to make making fun of the former inhabitants part of their business model.
Pictures of children with fetal alcohol syndrome on the walls?
Chewing tobacco? Pictures of junked cars. Deer heads. Coal miners hats. It is out there somewhere. It may serve Keystone beer in a literal bucket for $16.

Lots of the 'gentrification' in Pittsburgh (meaning houses being worth $150k instead of $30k) is taking place in neighborhoods formerly for elderly white working class folks— Lawrenceville most recently, but the South Side before that.
The South Side has the DoubleWide Grill but it's gas station themed, and yinzers in the area live in townhouses as opposed to trailers:
http://www.doublewidegrill.com/

Summerhill seeks to extend its hours of operation.
It presently can be open until 12 AM Friday and Saturday and 11 PM Sunday thru Thursday. It would like to be open until 2 AM daily. I suspect CB8 will not support the request, because the business has not proven itself yet. (I doubt CB8 will state that it is taking a position on the faux bullet wall or the 40 oz rose)

The meeting is tomorrow (Tuesday). Yes, it seems likely that CB9 would have thrown things at her. However, CB8 has a large number of members who live in Prospect Heights and Crown Heights North. Not many screamers. http://www.brooklyncb8.org/meetings/

According to the Twitter feed, the chairperson nixed the permit because "she doesn't know what she's up against." What's that supposed to mean?? If they're not fans, then grant her the license and let her business suffer on her own accord. They'll get what they want (assuming it goes down) and make money off of her in the meantime. Who are they to say what she can and cannot handle? I can't imagine that falls under the board's responsibility.

This statement relates to the fact that Becca (i.e. Summer hill) now has to go before the SLA to request an extension of the hours, with the CB in opposition. ...basically the CB chair is stating that they will trek to the SLA hearing, with the goal of making Becca have to hire a lawyer, appear numerous times and ultimately losing. Becca likely signed up for about $10k in legal fees tonight; many of the people on the CB8 SLA Committee are lawyers who love to testify at hearings/court, yet don't get to as often as they like to....